Automatic hammer.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

A. STROMDAHL. AUTOMATIC HAMMER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1902. v

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H0 MODEL.

PATBNTED JUNE so, 1903.

A. STROMDAHL.

AUTOMATIC HAMMER. APPLIOATIQN FILED JAN. 31, 1902'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENTBD JUNE 30, 1903.

A. STROMDAHL. AUTOMATIC HAMMER.

APPLIOA'I'ION nun JAN. 31, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H0 MODEL.

No. 732,466, Patented Tune 30, 1963 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW STROMDAHL, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC HAMMER COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A OOR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC HAM MER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,466, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed January 31,1902. Serial No. 91,974. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: merhead and tack;- raceway. At a there Be it known that I, ANDREW STROMDAHL, a is provided a convenient claw for the extraccitizen of the United States, and a resident of tion of tacks. Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and B is the tack-hopper, a metal box provided State of Massachusetts, have invented new with earsb wherewith the hopperis attached and useful Improvements in Automatic Hamto the jaw a by the bolts 19 and 19 The cover mers, of which the following is a specification. b is hinged with a spring-hinge b and is nor- My invention consists in sundry improvemally closed thereby. The interior of the ments in automatic hammers which are debox B contains the deflector-plate b and has IO veloped upon the type of hammer shown and an inclined bottom b On the under side of described in Letters Patent of the United the lid 1) there is secured the deflecting-hood States, No. 694,898, issued to me on the 4th 19 which overhangs the gathering-blades of day of March, 1902. My improvements presthe raceway in such manner as to deflect ently to be described contribute to the comtacks onto the gathering-blades when the i5 pactness, serviceability, and accuracy of the tool is wielded in the ordinary fashion. 64 hammer. O O are the lower and upper plates of the In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 raceway, the plate 0 being slotted or double is a side elevation of ahammer embodying to accommodate tack-shanks and the plate or my improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 show the bar 0 serving as a guard to overlie the tack- 20 two halves of the hammer-head. Fig. 4 is heads. This raceway is secured by having an-elevation of the driver and actuator with its upper head 0 fit within the aperture 12 in the motion-transferring pinion'in place. Fig. the hopper B, through which it protrudes,

5 is an elevation of the actuator with the and by screws 0 and 0 which enter the side cover-plate removed therefrom. Fig. 6 shows of the-hammer-head. At the upper end of 25 the cover-plate for the actuator. Fig. 7 is a the raceway the gathering-blades C are 10- vertical cross-section taken along the line 7 8 cated. These are formed uponor of a piece of Fig. 1, viewed from the right and showof spring metal and are joined by the resiliing the movable parts of the hammer closed out clip 0 Fig. 12, which is so proportioned within the head. Fig. 8 is a vertical crossthat itmay be sprung over the end of the 0 section on the same line as Fig. 7, but shows plate 0 and hug tightly thereto without the the movable parts extended. Fig. 9 is a deaid of other fastening. tail showing the tack-feeder and its operat- It should be noted that the raceway-plates ing-cam in the position corresponding to the O 0 lie against the side of the hammer-head sectional view in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a detail D and that the point of entranceof tacks to 5 of the tack-feeder and its operating-cam in the interior of the hammer-head is near the position corresponding to the sectional view rear side of the head. This arrangement enin Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a detail showing the ables me to construct the hammer more com tack-raceway and gathering blades. Fig. pactly than is possible when the, raceway 12 is a detail showing the gathering-blade in leads to the front or nose of the hammer-head 0 end view; and .Fig. 13 is a sectional view of and lends proper space forgiving the raceway no the upper part of the tack-hopper, showing the angle of inclination best adapted to the the lid raised. flow and feed of tacks. This disposition of I have shown my improvements as forming parts also involves a mode of tack separation part of a lasting hammer or pincers, this befrom the raceway which I believe to be novel 5 ing a tool to which such improvements are and which lends materially to the effective- 5 peculiarly adapted. ness and accuracy of the tools operation.

A is the upper, and A the lower, handle of D is the hammer-head, which fits snugly the pincers. a and a. are the jaws thereof. in the jaw a and passes through a clearance- The jaws are slotted at a and a as shown slot or in the jaw a.

50 in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to admit the ham- E is the tack feeder or separator, F its op- IOO crating-cam, and G the catch wherewith the user of the tool regulates the excursions of the working parts within the hammer-head.

In Fig. 1 the visible parts of the tool are shown as assembled. The details of construction and the operation of parts are illustrated in the other figures.

Figs. 2 and 3 show the two parts of the hammer-head, which is a chambered shell vertically divided, the parts D and D forming the ham mer-head D when united by rivets or screws, for which the holes (Z d d are provided. The chamber consists of a lower space (1 and extensions (1 and (1 the turret D extending above the body of the hammerhead to afford space for the spring 01 The hole d constitutes a bearing for the pinionshaft to be described presently, and the hole e affords passage for the guide-rod of the feeder E. The section D is laterally cut away at d, where the raceway-plates adjoin the hammer-head. The chamber in the hammer-head is occupied by the driver and its actuator, which in general operate in the same manner as the similar parts shown in my Patent No. 694,898 aforesaid. These parts I have improved in construction and arrangement as follows: The actuator H comprises the rackbar 72, hich is mounted on orintegral with the foot H, which is a rectangular block, chambered at h and vertically perforated at its for the admission of the driver I. The diagonal recess k is provided for the reception of the stop-spring s, which normally closes the lower end M of the driver-passage h A notch 7L5 is also provided, which cooperates with the catch G. Only one notch h is here shown;

but, if it be desired, others may be provided for the purpose of holding the actuator H in positions intermediate between full extension and complete closure. The recess h2 is closed by the cover-plate K, which is screwed to the block H at and provided with a T-shaped tack-opening at 7;. This tack-opening is so shaped and sized that any tack which can pass through itwill be capable of being driven properly by the descent of the driver I and registers with the delivery end of the raceway on the outside and with the driver-passage 71 on the inside. The driver I is a rod which slides in the passage 7L3 and terminates in the rack-bare. The pinion Jstands between the racks h and iand meshes with both racks. It is centrally perforated with the flattened holej, which receives the cam-shaft, presently to be described. The actuator, driver, and

pinion are assembled, as shown in Fig. 4, and inserted in the hammer-head chamber, the actuator rack-bar h crowding the spring (1 into the turret-chamber d The spring (Z thus normally thrusts the actuator H downward and by virtue of the rack-and-pinion connections the driver I upward.

The operation of the tack separating and driving mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10,. The feeder E is mounted on the slide-rod e", which passes through the hole 6 Figs. 2 and 3, in the hammer-head and is constantly urged toward the position shown in Fig. 8 by the spring 6 The feeder E has a follower-point e at its upper end and a tack-separating finger e at its lower end, which reciprocates across the lower end of the raceway C G. The cam F, which controls the movements of the feeder-E, is mounted on the cam-shaftf, which is flattened in the middle so as to fit in the central hole of the pinion J, Fig. 4. This cam F is peculiarly constructed, so that the inward-feeding thrust of the feeder E is abrupt. The annular-lydished shell F, which constitutes the main body of the cam F, has an outer circumferential rim-cam surface f and the snap-plate f A partially-annular disk fits inside the rim-cam f and turns upon the hub f. A spriugf anchored on the hub f and secured at its free end to the snap-platef normally holds the snap-plate against the pin f fixed in the shell F. The snap-plate is segmentally recessed to afford play over this pin f The rim-cam f slopes down to the pointf; but the snap-plate is fiat, having its upper surface only a little below the high part of the camf. As under the driving influence of the pinion J the cam F isturned to the right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 7, the followerpoint e rides out on the snap-plate f until its terminus f passes under the follower e, when the spring e pulls the feeder in and causes its feeding-finger e to pass across the lower end of the raceway O C. This happens when the actuator H is extended, as in Fig. 8, and the tack-opening 7c of the coverplate K is in register with the lower end of the raceway, so that the lowermost tack is thrust from the line in the raceway sidewise through the opening 7c into the driver-passage 71. the driver I being at the top of its stroke at this instant. The acting face of the feed-finger e is flat and fits into the tack-opening 75, so that the tack thus fed is absolutely confined in the driver-passage, the nose of the driver being above it, the spring 8 below, and the tackopening 7t closed by the feed-finger a". It often happens thata badly-sized or misshapen tack gets into the raceway and is of such a character that it refuses to be fed from the raceway into the driver-passage. The raceway is so proportioned that a tack which will enter it must necessarily progress with the rest to the delivery end of the raceway, so that no trouble need be apprehended until the critical point of separation from the raceway is reached; also, if a tack is capable of passing through the tack-hole 70 into the driverpassage it cannot fail to be driven out and into the work. The only troublesome place is the point of separation, and here the construction of my improved hammer places the tack in a freely-accessible position. If a tack refuses to be passed into the driver-passage, the operator is made aware of the fact by the failure of the tool to drive a tack, as expected.

He then presses the spring end of the feeder-l ICO IIO

rod 6 until the feeder is clear of the cam F E slightly to one side. Then inserting an awl, needle, or other suitable instrument in the notch c, Fig. 11, in the blade 0, he picks out the refractory tack, replaces the feeder E, and goes on with his work. Thus the correction of faults due to occasional bad tacks is the work only of an instant, and there is no necessity of fussing with the tool or losing timeby going to the factory machinist, as is too often the case with hammers wherein the tack-passages are inaccessible. The drivingstroke of the hammer causes the actuator H to close with the hammer-head, thus impel ling the driver I to force the tack past the spring 8 into the work by means of the pinion connection J, and as the pinion connection J turns to perform this oflice it carries the cam F with it, turning it to the left, as viewed in Fig. 9. Now the sloping rim-cam f lifts the follower e, and the follower e pushes the snap-plate f against the spring f until the follower c has ridden high enough on the rim-cam f to clear the snap-plate, which springs back into position, as shown in Fig. 9. This cycle of movements is re-' peated with each down and up stroke of the hammer unless the operator permits the catch G to engage the notch h with its toe 9 which is constantly urged into catch position by the spring 9 attached to the handle A at 9 the catch G turning on its pivot g. The fingerhold 9' enables the operator to control the catch G with a finger of the hand thatwields the hammer. The sudden movement of the feeder E is believed to have its advantages,

but a simple disk cam may be used instead of the snap-cainF. Sucha simple cam is shown in my Patent No. 694,898 aforesaid and need not be described here.

The sectional construction of the hammerhead D enables its chambered recesses to be formed with facility and accuracy. The mode of forming the driver-passage in the actuator-block lends compactness, strength, and simplicity to the structure, The device of lateral separation of tacks from the raceway does away withthe necessity for doublepointed feed fingers or separators and enables me to use the plain-faced finger, which serves also as a guard or back-stop to prevent accidental return of a tack once fed into the driver-passage, and the snap action of the feed-finger causes the feed devices to delay action until the way is wholly clear for a tack to move into position under the driver.

The general mode of handling and using this improved tool is like the mode described inmy Patent No. 694,898 aforesaid and need not be repeated here.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack-hopper, a chambered hammer-head, a tack-driver and a hollow driver-actuator sliding in the hammer-head,

the driver-passage located in the actuator, the actuator provided with a lateral tackopening and a tack-racewayleading from the hopper overlapping the side of the hammerhead and provided with a tack-delivery end at the side of the hammer-head, and a tackfeeder, to push tacks from the delivery end of the raceway into the hammer-head.

2. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack-hopper, a chambered hammer-head, a tack-driver and a hollow driver-actuator sliding in the hammer-head, the driver-passage located in the actuator, the actuator provided with a lateral tack-opening, a tack-raceway leading from the hopper and secured externally to the side of the hammer-head, a recess in the side of the hammer-head for the reception of the raceway, a tack-receiving opening in the side of the hammer-head, and a tack-feeder to push tacks from the delivery end of the raceway into the hammer-head.

3. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack-hopper, a chambered hammer-head, a tack-driver and a hollow driver-actuator sliding in the hammer-head, the driver-passage located in the actuator, the actuator provided with a lateral tackopening and a tack-raceway leading from the hopper and delivering to the hammer-head, the delivery end of the raceway being accessible from the outside, and a tack-feeder to push tacks from the delivery end of the raceway into the hammer-head.

4. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack hopper, chambered hammer-head, a tack-driver and a hollow driver-actuator sliding in the hammer-head, the driver-passage located in the actuator, the actuator provided with a lateral tack-opening, tack-raceway having its delivery end at the side of the hammer-head, a tack-receiving aperture in the side of the hammer-head, a tack-feeder, mounted to reciprocate across the raceway, and feeder-actuating devices whereby-the feeder is reciprocated to push tacks successively from the raceway into the interior of the hammer-head.

5. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack hopper, chambered hammer-head, tack-driving devices therein comprising a tack-driver and a hollow driveractuator containing a driver-passage, a tackraceway, leading from the hopper and having its delivery end at the side of the hammerhead, an opening in the side of the driver-actuator into the driver-passage adapted to admit a tack'of normal character and to exclude a misshapen tack, the delivery end of the race way being accessible from the outside for purposes of removing refractory tacks.

6. In a tool of the character described, the combination of a tack-hopper, tack-raceway, and chambered hammer-head, a tack-driver and hollow driver-actuator sliding in the hammer-head, the driver-passage located inthe actuator, the actuator provided with a lateral tack-opening, a tack-feeder movably mounted upon the hammer-head, feeder-actuating devices, the feeder provided with means whereby at will it may be displaced from its normal position, to afford access to the tack beneath it.

7. A tool of the character described, the combination of tack-supplying devices comprising a raceway; a chambered hammerhead, tack driving mechanism within the head, a tack-feeder, an operating-cam therefor, comprising, a feeder-sustaining surface, an abrupt descent therefrom, and a feederlifting cam, whereby the feeder is replaced upon the sustaining-surface, a spring for the feeder, and connections between the tackdriving devices and feeder-operating cam.

8. In a tool of the character described, the combination ofaspring-controlled tack-feeder provided with a cam-follower, and a feederoperating cam; the said cam having a feedersupporting surface, movable with relation to the cam-body and provided with an abrupt termination, and a cam-surface whereby the feeder-follower is replaced upon the supporting-surface, the said supporting-surface yielding, to the movement of the cam-follower during the act of said replacement, substantially as described.

9. In a tool of the character described, the combination ofaspring-controlled'tack-feeder provided with a cam-follower, a feeder-operating cam comprisinga rim-cam, a feeder-supporting surface consisting of a snap disk mounted within the rim-cam, a spring to control the snap -disk, whereby the said disk yields to permit the rise of the cam-follower upon the rim-cam, and moves to position under the follower when the latter clears it, substantially as described. I

Signed by me at Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, this 25th day ofJanuary, 1902.

ANDREW STROMDAI'IL.

\Vitnesses:

E. TOON GRoLL, FRANK S. HARTWELL. 

